Modern Day Levites

Dear Friends,

Strangely, I have never desired to live in an expensive house, drive a fancy car, own a boat or pursue a financially successful career. Why is that? None of these are wrong desires. God designs people the way he wants them to be and gives them possessions to be used for His glory and purposes. So am I really that strange? I think not.
As I was reading though the OT, I noticed that the Levites not only weren't given any territory in the Promised Land, but they were also not allowed to pursue great wealth and land possession. They were set apart as servants for God. I wonder if God designed them without the desire to accumulate wealth... I would think that to be true for at least some of them.
I see other similarities as well. When I think through the responsibilities of the Levites, the first one to come to mind are the priests. But when you dig a little deeper you'll find that actually the majority of them were tabernacle or temple servants. Some of them washed the dishes that were used for the sacrifices all day long, others kept the floor clean, some gathered the wood for the burnt offerings. They were the ones who packed down, transported and set up the tabernacle. They were the worship team, band and choir, some were Bible teachers. They were God's appointed servants.
Similarly, that's what we will be doing; serving God and God's people. I have been asked to serve as conference facility manager. This job involves making sure the facility is clean and functional for worship services, prayer meetings, missionary conferences, evangelism meetings, etc... It means making sure that the 'guests' have everything they need to pursue their calling and gifting.
Interestingly, it's also a lot easier for evangelists, church planters and relief workers to raise funds for their mission than it is for the servants who aren't on the front lines. Like wise, the Levites in the OT frequently had to discontinue their service in the temple and go work the fields because the tithes that came in were not enough to sustain them. As a result the temple maintenance would not get done and the temple would fall into ruin. It would take a prophet or a new king to come along and bring change. Nehemiah comes to mind as one of those examples.
So there you have it! That's why I consider myself a 'Modern Day Levite'!!!

In His Service,
Jonathan